 Increased water temperatures sometimes contributed to by global warming can do something known as "coral bleaching." The corals in the ocean get stressed and when this happens they lose their color. That is unless they are soft corals. Soft corals won't just lose their color...they will melt away completely.
The National Geographic website recently discussed soft coral "melting." Here is a small excerpt from the article written by Mati Milstein for National Geographic News.
"I have observed sites before and after bleaching in Okinawa, Japan, and it was remarkable to see a massive disappearance of soft corals," said marine biologist Hudi Benayahu, head of the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University.
"You can't imagine this was the same site. Just two years passed and the entire area was deserted, lifeless." I don't know about you, but to me this is a bit alarming. It's not that I have a deep love for soft corals, but it makes me wonder just what other damages are happening to unknown ocean elements.Labels: coral, global warming, ocean temperature |
